Scavenger Hunt

My team members were Betrice and Cindy.  After recieving the clues and talking them over, we decided to first head to the Wexner Center Fine Arts Library to take a picture in the Barcelona Chair.  While at the Fine Arts Library, we all got on computers to research the clues we did not know.  Cindy knew where the Architecture library was so we were fine on clue 1 and 2.  I looked up clue 3, Betrice looked up clue 4, and Cindy looked up clue 5.  We started at the fine arts library, went outside to take a pic of the Wexner Center, went to the Thompson Library, went to the Science and Engineering Library, and finished at the Architecture Library.  After that, we went our separate ways to look up our own interesting facts.  Betrice took all of the pictures on her phone and emailed them to us.

Clue 01:There are several places on OSU campus where you can find the Barcelona Chair. Take a picture of one of your team members sitting  in the chair, but still compose a good picture showing both you and the chair. Also note the name of the designer and something interesting about the chair or the designer in your comments.


Barcelona Chair, Mies van der Rohe, 1929
The Barcelona Chair was designed for the German Pavillion for the International Exposition of 1929.  The exposition was hosted my Barcelona that year.  This specific chair was located in the Fine Arts Library.  We also found one in the Architecture Library.

Clue 02:Find the Knowlton School of Architecture’s Library and explore the space noting the various chairs from design’s history. Pick a chair that you find interesting (not the Barcelona chair) and compose a picture of you in the chair reading a design-related magazine. In the comments, tell me who the designer is, something about the chair, and what magazine you are reading.

In this picture, I chose to sit in one of my favorite chair designs, the Red and Blue Chair, designed by Gerrit Reitveld in 1918.  I was initially drawn to this chair because it reminded me of the work of Piet Mondrian.  Ironically enough, I found out the chair was originally painted black, grey, and white but was changed to red, blue, and yellow when Rietveld discovered the paintings of Mondrian (which makes me feel smart, and like the chair even more!).  The magazine I'm reading is called Dwell. 

Clue 03:Take a photo of one of your team members in front of a building on campus that was designed by Peter Eisenman. In the comments, tell me something interesting or controversial about the construction of the building on campus.

In this picture, I am standing by the Wexner Center which was designed by Peter Eisenman.  I found it interesting that this was the first major public building designed by Eisenman.

Clue 04:A famous architect by the name of Philip Johnson designed the Sony (originally AT&T) skyscraper in New York City which is a great example of post modernism. He’s also responsible for two buildings on the Ohio State campus. Find one a get a picture of both the building and an architectural detail that you find interesting.

The Philip Johnson building we chose was the Science and Engineering Library. 

Clue 05:Take a photo of one of your team members in front of a building on campus that was designed by local architects Acock & Associates. In the comments, tell me something interesting or controversial about the construction of the building on campus.

The Thompson Library was designed by Acock & Associates.  As a new transfer student, I didn't know that the Library recently underwent a three year renovation costing $109 million.

Found Faces :)

Assignments for January 21, 2011

RR04:

For this response, I'm going to bullet pieces I find intriguing along the way...

• I guess I didn't realize how difficult making a singular global product would be.  Never considered the different cultural beliefs/practices and how they tie into everyday objects like a washing machine.
• Changing a corporate identity really does create higher expectations for the general public.  When I see imagery/branding change, I expect a larger internal change as well. 
• I don't really have any major response to the systems chapter. It seems pretty self explanatory.  The challenge for designers is how to make current and creative systems coexist.
• I like the concept of Oxo Goodgrips.  It's universal design was intended to help people with arthritis (which we often overlook as a common disability), but it's a more comfortable/appealing design to a wide range of people.
• The mention of James Dyson and his various vacuum designs reminds me of a Dyson commercial I just saw highlighting their new "ball" technology.  Instead of wheels, there is a large ball that pivots which makes it's turning capabilities MUCH easier than the typical vacuum.  It's a change that seems so simple, but is brilliant and unheard of at the same time. 
• Didn't realize USA does not have a design policy (rr I guess I didn't realize other countries have design policies).  Since countries are promoting design to increase international trade, I'm surprised the US hasn't done the same.

CR04:

Another short week (one real class meeting) because we were out of class on wednesday to do the scavenger hunt.  On monday we discussed designing for accessibility.  The statistics given were suprising, but it was more surprising to me that in this day and age (and with a growing # of people with disabilities) not everyone (and not necessarily even the majority) is striving for universal design.  To me, as a design student, I think that would be the way to get a more marketable design or a highly received space.  I wouldn't want to design something that only half of the population could physically enjoy.  We are taught today to picture a person in a wheelchair when we hear the word "handicapped," but I think the population as a whole (I guess designers in particular) need to remember the infinately broad range of disabilities.  I think universal design is something I will consider from now on in my everyday life and in my own designs in school.  While accessible design is a great start, I think universal design should begin becoming the norm.  Many people with disabilities already feel separated from society in a way, so why create a literal physical separation in modern designs today?

Designer In Depth Post

Eileen Gray

Eileen Gray was the name I randomly chose from the provided list of designers.  Ironically enough, her resume fits my interest in interior space design.  Eileen Gray is an Irish furniture designer who studied at the Slade School of Art in London.  Though my interest usually resides in modern day designers, Eileen Gray (who lived from August 9, 1878 – October 31, 1976) does have many designs that I find interesting.  She is regarded as one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century. 

  One of the main reasons that I have enjoyed viewing the works of Eileen Gray is because her furniture designs are still relevant and would not be out of place in this day and age.  To the left, the white room containing her furniture designs does not look quite different from anything one might find in a modernized home today.  This room is one of Eileen's first comission projects which in turn led to many more. 

Sadly, Some of her work was destroyed due to a bombing during WWII, but her legacy and designs still live on today.  Many of her works and houses remain, along with many reproductions of her furniture.

Images and Information obtained from Wikipedia and the British Design Museum Website (designmuseum.org)

Designer Short Post #2

Laura Berglund

• Junior designer (Graphic Design) for Design Ranch
• Born in 1988 in Kansas City, MO
• Favorite Item in her office is a picture of Bill Murray with flowers growing in his beard
• Her mom was a water color painter whose designs made their way onto Hallmark cards around the globe
• Has a degree in graphic design from the Kansas City Art Institute
• Landed a job with Design Ranch the week after she received her degree
• Makes designs for both small and large (Fortune 500) companies
• "When you're surrounded by really beautiful things, it just makes you feel better." -Berglund
• Originally wanted to major in art or design to do something "cool" like her mom did...it would give her and her mom something to bond over
• "I would just imagine a world without any design at all, and it wouldn't be worth living in, I don't think." -Berglund

Information and Images obtained from www.lauraberglund.com and the January 2011 edition of How (Design) Magazine

Designer Short Post #1

Erik Johansson:

• ·      Born in 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden
• ·      Freelance photographer/retoucher
• ·      His favorite item in his office is his “very comfortable office chair”
• ·      His work combines realistic, traditional photography with surreal computerized effects
• ·      His work is influenced by Dali, Escher, and Tan
• ·      His works take anywhere from a week to months to complete
• ·      Identifies himself as a perfectionist
• ·      Some examples of his work are a picture of him pulling a road that gathers like fabric in his arms, or a bulldozer engraving a game of tic-tac-toe into a populated street.
• ·      Says he’s only trying to depict images he gathers in his mind…Would just draw them if he had the capability of drawing photo-realistically
• ·      Check out his personal website…www.alltelleringet.com

Information and images gathered from www.alltelleringet.com and the January 2011 edition of How (Design) Magazine

CR03

This week was super short (only one class meeting) which will in turn lead to a short post.  We learned the design process, which I found interesting.  I really enjoyed the shopping cart development video we watched.  It was cool to see the unique way in which IDEO "got the job done."  It proved that though their workspace and ways of doing things may be a bit wacky, it really was productive and produced great results.  The cart was innovative and had details that they made seem absolutely necessary.  My biggest question to this video is what happened to the design?  Was it ever mass produced?  Is it still in the works? Was the design disposed?  I haven't seen much evolution in regards to the design of the shopping cart (besides possibly Target).  Overall, I found learning about the broad designer process really did give "method to the madness" and make the design process seem less stressful (which is always a good thing).

Survey

Survey Questions:

1) Facebook or Twitter?
          Results: Facebook-100%, Twitter-0%
2) Yahoo or Google?
          Results: Yahoo-10%, Google-90%
3) Coke or Pepsi?
          Results:  Coke-60%, Pepsi-20%, Neither-20%
4) Rain or Snow?
          Results:  Rain-40%, Snow-60%
5) Day or Night?
          Results:  Day-60%, Snow 40%

*Survey was administered via facebook.  Random selection of people.  10 people surveyed.

Results Depicted:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Assignments for Wednesday, 19 January 2011

CR02:

     So far in class we have discussed what design actually is (along with a brief, annotated history) and we've discussed what designers do.  While I am aspiring to major in interior design, I was somewhat ashamed in my lack of knowledge about some of the history and founding fathers of design (but I guess that's why I'm in college--to learn).  My favorite part of that lecture was looking at some of the well known chair designs. The chairs, also known as the "playground of designers" was something that interested me as an aspiring interior designer (although I guess that may be geared more towards interior decorating).
     In the next lecture, we discussed what designers actually do in the 3 disciplines of industrial design, interior space design, and visual communication design.  It was interesting to learn more about my desired major as well was some of the basic important vocabulary.  I also have a side interest in type design and typography and never knew the origins or meaning of serif vs. sans serif.

RR02:

Haskett Ch. 1-3

Ch 1:  What is design?
I thought this chapter was interesting because it establishes the question (listed above) as an open ended one.  The sentence "Design is to design a design to produce a design," seems like complete nonsense, but at a second glance, it opens up some of the possibilities of design as various parts of speech.  There is much debate as to the significance and value of design, but just about everything in life contains design in some way, shape, or form.

Ch 2:  The historical evolution of design
Design has evolved alongside the evolving ways of life.  I think one of the most influential and interesting design evolution was the period of industrialization.  People began circulating all sorts of new innovative designs, but had no idea how to make them aesthetically appealing.  The evolution of the car is also very interesting and ever-changing.  The book refers to the evolution of design as layering.  Each new concept is somehow based off of an old concept or what old concepts are missing.

Ch 3:  Utility and significance
Most good designs combine utility and significance in some way or another (even if not initially realized, such as in the toothpick example).  Most designs don't contain only utility or only significance.  When reading about packaging and visual imagery, I found it funny that Coke had to change its name on the Chinese market because its originally translated to "bite the wax tadpole."  

Patterns

What?: Entryway carpet and tile
When?: 1/17/2011
Where?: Gahanna Library
Why were you drawn to it?: I like this pattern because it it the matching of two different patterns that have a similar make-up that make for an interesting composition.  

What?: Pineapple

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?: I thought this was on of the coolest examples of a pattern in something from nature.

What?: Bathroom wallpaper

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Bathroom

Why were you drawn to it?:  I thought this was a good, simple, example of an easily decodable pattern.

What?: Tile floor

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?:  I thought that this was another example of a very simplified pattern found in my home.

What?: Piano

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Living room

Why were you drawn to it?: I was drawn to the keys of the piano because it's something I never really thought of as a pattern.  The keys of a piano are a pattern that will always be consistent and concrete.

What?: Lime

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?: Just like the pineapple, I thought this was a cool example of a commonly found pattern in nature.  This pattern can be found in any citrus fruit (with some variations).

What?: Barcode on a can

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?: I think that barcodes make cool patterns because though they all look the same at first glance, they all vary and are different.  

What?: Kitchen wallpaper 

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?:  I decided to use this pattern because it is a very similar pattern to the bathroom wallpaper.

What?: Placemat

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Kitchen

Why were you drawn to it?: I like this pattern because it is geometric and simple.  I also like that the texture of the placemat becomes a part of the pattern.

What?: Leopard print earmuffs

When?: 1/18/2011

Where?: Closet

Why were you drawn to it?: I like this pattern because although this particular one is manmade, it is inspired from a pattern originally in nature.  It is a pattern that always varies and is unique.

Assignments for Monday, 10 January 2011 Cont.

RR01: (In response to "The Candle Problem")


1) This article is about a cognitive performance test called The Candle Problem, or the Candle Task.  This test was published in 1945 in order to test a person's problem solving abilities.  The test is "how to fix a lighted candle on a wall in a way so the candle wax won't drip onto the table below," using a book of matches and a box of thumbtacks.  The solution, overall, is quite simple.  The trick, however, is actually using the box the thumbtacks were contained in.  At first, the task is presented with the thumbtacks inside of the box, in which case most come up with various more complicated solutions.  When the task is presented with the thumbtacks beside the box, most are then able to achieve the best solution. 


2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Candle_Problem


3) I found this article interesting because it directly ties into the problem solving abilities of designers.  Even those that couldn't come up with the optimal solution continued trying even if they just ended up with a more complicated solution.  It is the job of designers to take the time to problem solve for the benefit of others.  I found it interesting that the wording of the problem and the layout of the problem had the potential to yield all sorts of results.  This shows that people solve problems better under different scenarios.  I believe this is a good article for beginning design students to read because it shows that even the simplest of problems may not initially seem too simple to solve.

Assignments for Monday, 10 January 2011

J01:

My name is Rachel and I am from Columbus, OH.  This is my first quarter at Ohio State, and I'm really enjoying it so far.  I am a sophomore who initially attended school at a small university in the middle-of-nowhere, TX.  I enjoyed my time there as an elementary education student, but decided to change my major to something I was more passionate about (design).  I'm enjoying being back in my hometown as a buckeye (minus the snow).  My interests are design, dance, color guard, running, and exercising (when I actually have the time).

CR01:

I am honestly hoping to get more insight into the design field.  I'm intending to major in interior design.  While for the most part, I know what this major consists of, I also know that there's a lot I do not know.  I'm looking forward to learning just about anything in this class because many things that apply to design, in general, will be applicable to the field of interior design as well.   I don't have any concerns about this class (no exams--yay!).  I think the fact that exams have been eliminated creates a more comfortable learning environment in which I'm excited to be in.